The 2012 Scion iQ – a micro-subcompact designed for city drivers – is easy to park and…well, that’s it.

The Scion iQ is slow, a bit skittish and not at all cheap. If you pay a bit more than $19,000 for a car, it should come with a glove compartment.

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There was a time – not so long ago, actually – when driving a car getting 30 mpg on the highway earned you bragging rights among the thrifty. Now, not so much.
Forty miles per gallon is the new 30 mpg. A growing number of cars now boast of EPA fuel economy estimates of 40 mpg…

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Consumers looking for relief from high gasoline prices are finding solutions in the US car market, according to a new report by the Natural Resources Defense Council.
US car buyers can choose from among 57 models of energy-efficient cars and trucks in showrooms today. That’s more than double the 27 efficient models that were available in the spring of 2009.

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Cars that are fun to drive typically come with a catch. There is, it seems, always a but…
The Jaguar XK is fun to drive but the starting MSRP is $84,500.
The Chevrolet Corvette is a blast to drive but there is only room for two.

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CODA, the innocuous looking sedan that boldly promises the best range of any electric car on the market, officially entered its production phase this week.

The first fully outfitted silver, all-electric five-passenger Coda rolled off the assembly line at the plant in Benicia, Calif., on Monday, as factory workers cheered and company executives pledged to kick butt in a field that includes the Nissan Leaf, the Chevy Volt and the pricey Tesla Roadster.

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You can’t really say the Toyota Camry is exciting, but this may get your pulse racing – 38.8 miles per gallon.

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You reach a certain age when it seems the only surprises are bad surprises. The 2012 Kia Optima Hybrid is a rare happy surprise. The rise of Korean automobile makers is an oft-told tale – cheap lemons to top-notch serious competition for the likes of Toyota and Honda. The 2012 Kia Optima isn’t your father’s Kia. Heck, it isn’t even your big brother’s Kia.

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Imagine if our nation was offered a choice of how to spend half a trillion dollars of our wealth over the next two decades.
One option would be to send $350 billion overseas to the Middle East and other oil exporting countries, and the remainder on increasing oil industry revenues.
An alternative option would be to take that half a trillion dollars and invest $300 billion directly into the U.S. auto industry, put $200 billion back into consumers’ pockets, and create half a million new jobs while cutting emissions of dangerous carbon pollution.
Is this choice just a pipe dream? Is it too simplistic a way to look at things?
Hardly.

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Eaton Corporation and Coulomb Technologies announced plans today to expand the North American footprint of charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs).

The partnership will connect Eaton’s quick-charging Level II and DC “Pow-R-Stations” to Coulomb’s ChargePoint® Network, which is the largest network of independently owned charging stations in the world with more than 4,500 charging locations in North America.

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The high-mileage Toyota Prius is the best-selling hybrid on the road, but it’s not a car for everybody. It can fit four in reasonable comfort, as long as they travel light. While that makes it a great second car for long commutes or the principal ride of eco-conscious empty-nesters, it’s not really a family car – unless your family consists of a couple of dogs smaller than a football.
The 2012 Prius v, however, offers a mash-up of hybrid technology and station wagon roominess to serve as the family’s primary vehicle. Unless you’re Kate Gosselin.

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Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., will launch a fuel-efficient hybrid at a more accessible price when the Prius c joins the Prius Family of vehicles in the spring of 2012. The U.S. debut of the Prius c will be next January at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

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The 2012 Toyota Yaris is better than the car it replaces – evidence that increasing competition in the small car market benefits drivers.

The redesigned Yaris looks less cute – and that is a good thing. Earlier versions of the Yaris looked like a big bubble. The more aggressively styled (relatively speaking) 2012 Yaris is longer and lower. The wheelbase is now 98.8 inches, two inches longer, while the overall length of the car is nearly three inches longer at 153.5 inches.

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